Something New
by honey-of-heaven
Summary: Two Divas leave the WWE only to return six years later and find that things are very different to the way the were before...
1. Chapter 1

Author: Janine  
  
E-mail: Stephjanine49@aol.com  
  
Pairing: Lita/Jericho Steph/Edge Trish/Christian Stacy/Jeff  
  
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the WWE and Vince McMahon   
  
Rating: 15 (bad language, abuse, violence)  
  
Spoilers & Notes: Follows the events of RAW on Mon 17th November 2003. Lita was dumped by Matt and fired by Bischoff, but Christian never got Lita her job back.  
  
Summary: Two Divas leave the WWE only to return six years later and find that things are very different to the way the were before...  
  
~  
  
-Monday 17th November 2003-  
  
She was alone.  
  
Sure she had family, who doesn't. She had friends too, not many, just a few. But they were too busy to care...they had their own problems and worries and couldn't spare five minutes just for a quick chat...some friends.  
  
She laughed out loud...a bitter laugh. She really was alone then.  
  
She'd managed to loose the love of her life, she'd lost her job, and she'd been betrayed by those she'd thought she could trust...betrayed by him...the one man she had depended on the most in her life.  
  
Yes. She was heartbroken...something she thought she would never be...could never be. She had always been so tough before. No one would mess with her, because she would always win the end, one way or another.  
  
But this time was different. She hadn't won at all. She had lost...and she had lost everything.  
  
Sighing, the young woman reached for her cell phone that was lying on her hotel room bed. She had made a decision...  
  
She would give up her life...no not suicide, she was too strong for that...no. She would disappear...leave America and start a new life, a fresh start...a second chance.  
  
She smirked. She wouldn't do it alone though. She wasn't *that* strong.  
  
Instead she would take someone with her. Someone she had never really considered a friend, but yet had so much in common with. Someone she knew to be feeling the exact same way she did...to be going through the same pain...  
  
She glanced up from where she was sitting, pushing her long locks behind her ears. The last match of RAW was showing on the television screen.  
  
She scowled at the sight of Triple H and Evolution, ganging up Goldberg. Then she thought back to earlier that evening...  
  
Dammit! She hated Matt Hardy and she hated Chris Jericho and she hated Eric Bischoff. If it were up to her, she'd have all three line up against a wall, whilst she shot them one by one.  
  
She looked back at her cell phone, pressing the small pink buttons until she found the number she was looking for...then just stared at it for a few moments.  
  
"A new life," she muttered to herself "An escape,"  
  
Then she made the call...  
  
"Hello Lita?...yeah hi, it's Stephanie McMahon here...I have a proposition for you, I think you'll be interested."  
  
~ 


	2. Chapter 2

~  
  
-March 2009, London, England-  
  
She wiped at her eyes, cursing every tear that fell and every damn sob that escaped her lips. She couldn't believe she'd let him reduce her to this...to some helpless, crying wreck.   
  
"He's never going to hurt you again,"   
  
Sobbing once more, she looked up at the woman seated next to her. The woman who was her best friend, her only friend, and the woman who'd saved her from him.  
  
"How do you know that?" She asked, the tiniest hint of hope in her words, her big blue eyes shining.  
  
The other woman sat in silence for a while, absentmindedly playing with a strand of her long dark hair. She could answer her friend's question easy enough, but didn't want to put any more pressure on the girl...not yet.  
  
"Michelle? Answer me?" the teary-eyed woman demanded.  
  
"I...um...I don't know." Michelle shrugged, studying her friend's appearance; messy blonde hair that hung just above her shoulders, red-rimmed eyes, pale skin, and her lip was bleeding from where he'd struck her.  
  
"So that's it then...we have nothing left." The blond sighed miserably; "we can't go back to work, not after..."  
  
"The asshole fired us on the way out,"   
  
"At least you got a chance to punch him before he left," She said, smiling for the first time since her friend had arrived.   
  
"Yeah, well nobody hurts my best friend and gets away with it." Michelle smiled back, glad to see that the blond was livening up a little.  
  
"But we'll have to leave here, because you know what he's like, he'll want to hurt us, I just know it," The woman spoke, and Michelle had to tell her to breathe before she gave herself a panic attack.  
  
"Eve I-"  
  
"Don't call me that anymore." The blonde snapped, taking in her friend's surprised look.   
  
Michelle's eyes suddenly gleamed with something they hadn't done for a long time...fire and energy...a lost life.  
  
"So what do you want me to call you?" She asked, feeling the excitement building up inside her...  
  
"You can call me by my real name, if you haven't forgotten it," She smiled slightly, just eyeing the other woman's reaction to what she'd said.  
  
"Of course I haven't forgotten your name," Michelle said, rolling her eyes and letting out a small laugh. Then she sighed, "But are you sure you want this? Are you sure you want to go back?"  
  
The blonde thought for a moment. She could go back, she could be the same person that she was six years ago...that same lonely person, who had nothing to lose, simply because she had nothing at all. Or she could go back and she could be stronger, she could be happy, and she could have what she'd wanted for so long...revenge.  
  
"Only if you come back with me,"   
  
Michelle smiled and nodded, "Did you really have to ask? Of course I'll go back. I miss that place like crazy."  
  
"I bet a lot of things have changed though,"   
  
"Yeah, there'll probably be different wrestlers, different referees, and different announcers..." Michelle, pushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and stood to her feet. She reached a hand down to help up the slightly younger woman.   
  
"We haven't changed though," the blond shrugged, and the brunette smiled back.  
  
"Well if you don't count appearances, then no, we haven't." She said.  
  
"So this is it then, we are definitely going home,"   
  
Michelle nodded, "yeah, we're definitely going home, Stephanie."  
  
The blonde's eyes widened at the use of her real name. She hadn't been called that in six years and it was so strange to hear her friend say it. "Okay Lita," She smiled, "Home it is then."  
  
~ 


	3. Chapter 3

~  
  
"*You're* Stephanie McMahon?"   
  
"Yes," the blonde sighed, becoming annoyed at the small, bald man's incessant questioning.   
  
"*The* Stephanie McMahon?" He said, peeking over the top of his largely framed glasses. She watched him skim his fingers across some papers and had to stop herself from sighing again.  
  
"Yes."   
  
"Daughter of Vince and Linda McMahon?" He asked, oblivious to the woman's rapidly increasing impatience.   
  
"Yes!" Stephanie nodded, rolling her eyes and glaring at her new lawyer.   
  
The man squinted at her and then turned his attention to a small piece of paper he had in front of him.   
  
"Yes, I believe you are," he muttered, more to himself than to Stephanie.   
  
"Well?" She asked, "Do you have any information on my parents and brother?"  
  
The man looked up at her question. There was something in his eyes, which told her that what she was about to hear was bad news, and she took a deep breath, urging him to tell her.  
  
"Well..." The man sighed, removing his glasses and continuing, "I'm afraid that Linda and Vince McMahon died three years ago,"   
  
Stephanie sat still and quiet, letting the new information sink in, as her eyes watered up with tears. She hadn't expected any of this when she'd walked into the bald man's office 20 minutes ago...she had expected him to say that her parents had left the country or something, but not this...not that they were dead.  
  
"H-how?" She stuttered, making an effort to hold her chin up, and to keep herself composed in the man's presence.   
  
"A plane crash,"   
  
"Oh," was all she managed. The lawyer restored his glasses and looked down at his papers.  
  
"Your father, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, left a will which entitled you and you brother, Shane McMahon, each to half an ownership of his company, World Wrestling Entertainment."  
  
Stephanie stared at the man, shocked at what he'd just told her. Especially as Vince had hated her before she had left America, six years earlier.  
  
"You must have made a mistake, my fa-"  
  
"It is correct," The short man nodded and then picked up another piece of paper. "Your brother, Shane Brandon McMahon, is currently living in Australia, although he has left no address or contact number."  
  
Stephanie frowned, wondering briefly why Shane would be in Australia when he owned half of the WWE, but she shrugged the thought off and let her lawyer carry on...  
  
"Mr McMahon, left the country two years ago and signed a form which stated that he would hand his half of the ownership of the company over to you, Stephanie McMahon."   
  
The blonde's eyes widened in complete surprise. She'd travelled back to America less than two days ago, with nothing but a few English pounds in her pocket, but now...now she was the owner of World Wrestling Entertainment...  
  
The lawyer smiled, the first one she'd seen from him since she'd arrived to his office.   
  
  
  
"Wow," Stephanie muttered, then a sudden thought entered her mind, "If my brother left two years ago, then who's been in charge of the company?"   
  
The lawyer's eyes scanned a few other pieces of paper and then finally settled on what Stephanie decided must be the answer to her question.  
  
"Um...a Mr Eric Bischoff," the man stated, looking up at her again.  
  
The woman frowned. Eric Bischoff...she hadn't heard that name in a long time, but she remembered him well. He was a heartless, manipulative, misogynistic asshole.  
  
"Is everything okay Miss McMahon?" The lawyer asked, noticing how the woman had tensed at his words. She obviously did not like this Bischoff character.   
  
"Uh...yes, fine...I have to go," Stephanie said quickly, feeling the sudden need for some fresh air. She stood up, but the lawyer called for her to wait.  
  
"Miss McMahon, would you please take these with you, and sign them," he handed her some sheets of paper and she frowned as she took them.  
  
"What are they?"   
  
"They are the documents for the WWE, stating your ownership and the power and control that you have," he smiled again, then added, "and you can fire him you know,"   
  
"What? Who?"   
  
"That Eric Bischoff guy...you can fire him,"   
  
Stephanie smiled a little at that then walked to the door, "thanks, but I think I'll keep him on for a bit...I have special plans for him."   
  
The short, bald man watched as she left the office, a wide smile across his face, "Welcome home Miss McMahon."  
  
~ 


	4. Chapter 4

~  
  
"Wrestlemania Twenty-Five is in one week," Stephanie McMahon declared for the hundredth time that evening, and Lita raised an uninterested eyebrow, as she finished off her burger.  
  
"How many more times do you plan on saying that Steph, because it's getting kind of annoying," The former redhead told the blonde, who just smiled happily.  
  
"I'm sorry, I just can't believe we're actually going to return in a week!" Stephanie said excitedly. She leaned over the table and grabbed some of her friend's fries.   
  
"Well *I* can't believe that we're going to RAW tomorrow," Lita glanced around the diner and then looked back at Stephanie with a sigh, "I know that the plan was to watch the show from a VIP booth, but can we please have just one look backstage?"  
  
Stephanie regarded the anxious expression on the brunette's face and rolled her eyes then smiled "okay..." Lita's eyes lit up and Stephanie continued "...but we can't give ourselves away, nobody must recognise us..." she frowned, "...we'll need some sort of disguise or something,"  
  
Lita shrugged, she personally hated all this hiding they were doing but could understand why Stephanie wanted to wait...she wanted to make this a night to remember, a night for revenge and the return of the youngest McMahon, the one who was forgotten only six years earlier...  
  
"Okay Steph, tomorrow, we'll have some fun,"  
  
~  
  
-Monday night RAW-  
  
"Friends of Mr Bischoff's huh?" The burly security guard nodded as he let the two women through the backstage door, handing them back their passes.  
  
"Yes, very good friends," Lita confirmed and winked at the guard, who grinned back.  
  
"Well be careful ladies, make sure you're not still in the corridors when the show starts tonight, or there'll be trouble," the man smirked as he watched them walk away.  
  
Once out of sight, Lita found the nearest empty locker room and ushered Stephanie inside, locking the door behind her.  
  
"Let's get changed," The brunette said, opening their bags and pulling out a couple of uniforms they'd occupied, courtesy of Stephanie's lawyer.  
  
"What did he mean by that?" The blonde frowned, thinking back to what the security guard had said a moment ago.  
  
"What did who mean by what?" Lita asked, shaking her head in confusion.   
  
"You know, what the security guard said about there being trouble if we were in the corridor after the show starts...why would he say that?"  
  
Lita shrugged, but didn't seem too worried.   
  
"Steph, he was just trying to scare us because he's a jerk...here put this on," she threw Stephanie a cap and continued to get changed. After a beat, Stephanie sighed and did the same.  
  
"There," Lita smiled with satisfaction at her reflection in the long mirror, she then looked over at her friend and giggled, "we look like a couple of the stage-hands or technical crew now, so no one will recognise us. Just make sure you stay hidden under that hat okay?"  
  
"This is so ridiculous," came Stephanie's reply, but Lita was still smiling from ear to ear. The brunette unlocked the door and peered outside.  
  
"All's clear, how about we split up and take a look around, it'll be fun. We can meet back here in about twenty minutes. That should give us time to get changed and go watch the show."  
  
"Okay," Stephanie reluctantly agreed, letting Lita leave first, then proceeding to walk in the opposite direction.   
  
She crossed her arms over her stomach as she walked down the wide corridor. There was something that she felt uneasy about, but she wasn't quite sure what that was. The guard's words had unnerved her a bit, but Lita had been sure that he was just an idiot, so maybe she was overreacting.   
  
The hallway got busier, the further she went...wrestlers she presumed...yet she didn't know who they were...new faces. It was strange.  
  
  
  
She pulled her cap down a little, turning a corner and walking straight into a brick wall...a talking brick wall...  
  
"Whoa there honey, I'm sorry," a strangely familiar and overly cheerful voice rang out, grasping her arms to stop her from falling, "are you okay?" the voice spoke again, but Stephanie kept her head down, trying to walk past him. In fact the only thing she could actually see at that moment, were a pair of boots and some wrestling tights, which seemed to have the man's name written on in silver...yeah, she could just about make out the letters...E...D...G...   
  
"Edge!" She burst out accidentally, immediately covering her mouth with her hands, desperately trying not to look up at him, even though she wanted to see his face more than anything right then.   
  
She and Edge had always been good friends. He had been there for her when she was going through her divorce...she had visited him a few times after he'd broken his neck. Even when she had left she'd though about contacting him, but had chickened out every time...and now there he was...and she couldn't look at him...  
  
"Do I know you?" The man asked, and Stephanie became aware that he was still holding onto her arms. Shrugging him off, she tried to walk round him, ducking under one of his arms in order to do so, and losing her cap at the same time...Shit!  
  
She turned, keeping her head down, allowing her messy blonde locks to cover her face and went to pick up the hat...but Mr nice guy beat her to it...  
  
"Here you go," Now any normal person would just hand the cap over, but not Edge, he walked over to Stephanie, brushed her hair out of her face using his free hand and then placed the cap on her head. "There you are honey, You shou..." His mouth dropped open mid-sentence and Stephanie knew he'd recognised her.  
  
"Hi Edge," she said with a shy smile, "How's it going?"  
  
~ 


	5. Chapter 5

~  
  
Who were all these people? Lita knew there would be some new wrestlers, but she didn't realise there would be so many...she hadn't seen a face she recognised...yet...  
  
She wandered down the corridor, thankful that she no longer had those vibrant red locks, because there was no way she would blend into the background if she did.  
  
"Look, I don't know what to do anymore, we can't fight them any longer, there's too many of them," Lita heard a man say, as she passed a locker room. She frowned curious as to what he was talking about and stood behind the half-open door to hear him better.  
  
"You *can't* give up on us now, not when we're closer than we ever have been." Another, younger voice pleaded, and continued. "You're our leader, you always have been...we just need to get a few more wrestler's on our side..."  
  
"It's no good! That damn Eric Bischoff, Hunter and their men...they've won," Lita's frown deepened at what she was hearing...what the hell was going on?...and those voices, they were so familiar...  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" an angry voice from behind her, demanded to know. Lita's eyes widened, but she didn't have the chance to turn around as she was suddenly grabbed by the hair, and thrown through the half-open door, the side of her stomach painfully hitting the edge of a desk.  
  
"I found a spy boss, One of Bischoff's sluts I suppose," The angry voice snarled, grabbing her by the hair again, and throwing her to the ground.  
  
"Fuck you, asshole!" Lita spat, furious that this man had dared to throw her around like that...who the hell did he think he was?  
  
"I'm not a spy and I'm definitely not a slut," she growled, to the surprise of all three men in the room, who just stared at the raging woman on the floor.   
  
She stood up, not caring about the damn disguise anymore...she hadn't wanted it in the first place, and pulled off her cap so she could get her hair out from her eyes.  
  
"Who the hell *are* you and what do you want?" The voice of the 'leader' spoke out, grabbing the brunette's attention and she looked up at him...  
  
"Paul Heyman?" She frowned with surprise and turned when someone said...  
  
"Lita? Is that you?" The woman's eyes widened...It was Christian, and he looked exactly the same as he had done six years ago.   
  
Lita, spun round quickly to find out if she also knew who the asshole that had just manhandled her was...and she did...  
  
"Jeff,"   
  
~  
  
He blinked once...then once again...  
  
"No way," Edge muttered in disbelief, shaking his head slightly.  
  
"Long time no see Edge," Stephanie smiled slightly. It was great to see him again after all that time, and the tall blond looked very much the same as he'd done back then.  
  
"No...no, this is a trick...you've been sent by Bischoff to try and stop us..." The wrestler ranted, backing away from the wide-eyed woman in front of him.  
  
"What?" Stephanie frowned, she thought he'd be more pleased to see her...and what did he mean by 'to try and stop us'? "Edge...it's me, it's Stephanie,"  
  
"Shut up!" He yelled, making the blonde woman jump slightly, and catching the attention of some passers by, who eyed the two of them curiously for a moment, then carried on walking.   
  
"You can't be her, everyone knows she's dead," he said, quieter this time.   
  
Stephanie was horrified...everyone thought she was dead?  
  
"W—who told you that?"  
  
"Shane McMahon," he said simply, running a hand through his hair, "...he announced it on SmackDown three years ago, just after Vince and Linda..." he broke off shaking his head and turned to leave.  
  
Stephanie was very confused. She didn't understand why her brother would tell everyone that she was dead, and then leave the whole company in her name a year later.   
  
...Unless, he was protecting her...maybe he wanted people to think she was dead...  
  
"Wait!" She called, and the Canadian looked back as she continued, "I *am* Stephanie McMahon, look at me, you *know* it's me, Edge."  
  
He eyed her for a moment, and spoke softly...  
  
"You're blonde,"  
  
She chuckled, meeting his green eyes with her blue ones "so are you,"  
  
After a brief silence Stephanie raised her eyebrows and held out her arms, "so, don't I get a hug?"   
  
The tall wrestler smiled, pulling the former brunette towards him and said, "welcome back Steph,"  
  
~  
  
Lita stared at the man she had called her best friend almost six years earlier. He looked different...older, his hair was short, almost as short as Christian's, and dark blonde in colour...but it *was* him, Lita knew for sure...it was her Jeff...  
  
"Check her," Heyman said, and before Lita could protest, Christian's arms had wrapped themselves around her waist and Jeff grabbed her right arm, pulling back the sleeve to take a look.  
  
"She's clear boss," The Hardy brother told the practically bald man, and Christian released her.  
  
"Clear of what? What's going on?" She demanded, frowning at each of the men in turn, finally settling on Paul Heyman. He was thinner, she noticed, still overweight, but thinner than he was when she last saw him.  
  
"Why are you here?" he asked, purposely avoiding her question and squinting at her as though she were a bug waiting to be squashed.  
  
Lita scowled, "You haven't changed one bit Paul...still an ass,"   
  
Heyman smirked, "Still a firecracker I see...like the hair,"   
  
"Wish I could say the same to you," she said, glaring at him.  
  
"Do you want me to get rid of her?" Christian spoke up, stepping towards the former redhead, but Paul held an arm out to stop him.  
  
"No, if Bischoff or one of his men see her, then god knows what they'll do to her," Paul sighed, tracing his chin with his hand.   
  
Lita frowned, how dare they talk about her as though she wasn't there...as though she was just some piece of property...although, nothing hurt her as much as when Jeff said...  
  
"Who cares. She's not our problem, Bischoff can have her, we've got more important things to worry about..."   
  
"No Jeff!" Heyman almost yelled, causing the Hardy to flinch, "I'm not letting that bastard do to her what he did to the other divas..." he broke off, looking down at the ground for a moment and taking a deep breath.  
  
Lita didn't say anything...though her mind was reeling with questions...the older man looked like he could snap at any given time.  
  
"We've got ten minutes before the doors close, we need to get to the others," Paul stated, heading for the door, "and bring her too," he added.   
  
Jeff and Christian did as their boss instructed, each taking one of Lita's arms and escorting her through he door. She didn't even bother protesting, she was so damn curious, yet confused too...she felt as though she were an intruder...someone who wasn't welcome.   
  
She just hoped that Stephanie was having better luck than she was...  
  
~ 


	6. Chapter 6

~  
  
They entered a room. A room that was full of wrestlers. There must have been about 25 of them sitting in rows, as though they were in a theatre...a very quiet theatre. Not one of them was talking.  
  
Lita frowned as they all turned to look at them curiously...or to look at her curiously...the only woman in the room, she noticed. A few of them she knew...Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, John Cena and Brock Lesner...the others she'd never seen before.   
  
Christian and Jeff, sat her down in a corner of the room, the two sitting either side of her, and not looking at her once. She felt horrible, like she was a being held captive.   
  
"We've only got two minutes, is everyone here?" Paul Heyman said, addressing everyone in the room, a slightly worried look on his face, as he scanned the group and kept glancing towards the door.  
  
Lita looked up at the clock on the wall. There was only two minutes until RAW began, which meant she was late meeting Stephanie...  
  
"Uh...I don't mean to be rude, but I really have to get going," The former redhead spoke out, standing up from her seat, only to have Jeff stand directly in front of her so that she couldn't go anywhere. "Or I could just stay here," she frowned, sitting back in her seat...she really *was* being held captive.   
  
  
  
~  
  
"What the hell is going on around here Edge?" The blonde asked, walking beside the tall Canadian, "you seemed really nervous about Bischoff,"  
  
Edge frowned, "A lot's changed since you disappeared. Thing's have changed, people have changed. Nothing is the way it was back then..." he broke off, staring into the distance for a brief moment then looking back at Steph, "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask how you've been?"  
  
Stephanie shrugged, "Not too brilliant actually. We decided to come back because things were getting bad in England...looks like things are just as bad here,"   
  
"You went to England?" Edge raised his eyebrow and before she could answer, he asked another question, "and who's 'we'?"   
  
"Yes I went to England and as for the 'we'..." The blonde woman was cut off by the sound of an alarm sounding down the hallway. People began rushing around, jumping into the nearest room they could find. She'd thought it was a fire alarm at first, but usually that meant people running out of the building, rather than into it.  
  
Acting fast, the tall wrestler gripped Stephanie's arm and pulled her quickly down the corridor with him. He stopped in front of a door and banged onto the wood loud enough so that whoever was inside could hear them over the alarm.   
  
"Open the door Heyman, it's Edge! Let me in quick!" Stephanie could sense fear in the man's voice, and couldn't help but wonder what had caused it...and did he mention Heyman? Paul Heyman?  
  
The door swung open so fast, that Stephanie could have sworn it nearly flew off its hinges. An angry faced man stood on the other side, a face that she had never seen before. He glared at Edge, who pushed past him, still holding onto Stephanie's arm and once they were inside, the angry faced man shut the door and locked it as fast as he could.  
  
Wrestlers, sitting in rows like they were attending a meeting or a school assembly. She knew some of them, and others she didn't.  
  
"Jesus Christ Edge, do you have a death wish! God knows what Bischoff would have done if he'd have caught you!" An unmistakable voice cried out. It was Heyman, Stephanie looked up at him...and he glared at her. He didn't recognise her, she realised...  
  
"What the hell is this?!" Heyman yelled again...in fact he was the only one in the entire room making any sound whatsoever...except...  
  
"Stephanie!" A relieved female voice called out, before Edge could apologise to Paul.   
  
Jeff and Christian both reached out to stop the brunette, but she evaded them, running across the room to hug her best friend.  
  
"So much for hiding our identity," Stephanie smiled, and Lita tried to hold back the tears of relief at seeing the blonde woman...she wasn't alone anymore.  
  
"I'm so gad to see you, everyone's acting so..." she broke off, glancing up warily at the tall man at Stephanie's side. Her first instinct was to hug him...she hadn't seen him in a long time...but Christian and Jeff were behaving strangely so...   
  
"Lita?" The man broke into a smile, and hugged her himself, "how...when did you get here?"  
  
Lita just smiled up at him, glad to see that he hadn't changed much at all.  
  
"I'm sorry to break up your little reunion and everything, but would someone tell me why we have another outsider here?" Paul wanted to know, walking towards the two divas and Edge.  
  
"Hello Paul, you haven't changed much, lost some weight though I see." Stephanie smirked at him, and he stared at her for ages...sudden realisation coursing through him...how could he have been so blind?  
  
"Stephanie McMahon," he muttered, though it was so quiet in the room that everyone heard him. A surprising murmur arose from the wrestlers and Stephanie's smirk grew to a smile.  
  
"That's right Paul, and contrary to what my brother has told everyone, I am very much alive," From the corner of her eye she saw Lita throw her a questioning look, but carried on talking, "and I've come to claim what's rightfully mine...this company, the WWE."  
  
~ 


	7. Chapter 7

~  
  
The five of them stood in the adjoining office, the door closed for privacy. Stephanie sat down next to Lita, Edge next to Steph. Opposite them, Paul and Kurt Angle took a seat each.  
  
"It's good to see you both," Kurt smiled slightly. He didn't look much different...his eyes held a sense of emptiness, but he was still physically in good shape.  
  
"It's good to see you Kurt," Stephanie smiled back. Kurt had always been a good friend to her in the past, and she knew that he always would be.  
  
"So you're the sole owner of the WWE?" Paul Heyman asked, he wanted to make sure he got the facts right, before he celebrated.  
  
"Yes," the blonde woman stated, "but I didn't know you still worked here Paul. My lawyer said that Eric Bischoff was in charge,"   
  
A few uncomfortable glances were exchanged between the three men in the room, and then Heyman took a deep breath and began to explain...  
  
"When Vince and Linda died, I was still the General Manager of SmackDown and Eric Bischoff was the General Manager of RAW. Your brother Shane took over and he decided to end the roster split, making myself and Bischoff Co-GM's of both shows. That's when things started getting bad. Bischoff wasn't happy sharing the power and he allied himself with Evolution. Soon, other wrestlers were joining this powerful group, led by Bischoff and Triple H, and they began to take over. Shane tried to do something, but they threatened him and his family...so he fled to somewhere in Australia...leaving Bischoff to do as he pleased. There were few he hadn't corrupted though...the guys sitting in the other room...with me leading them, we've been trying to fight Bischoff's men ever since, but there's just too many of them."   
  
Stephanie and Lita exchanged an appalled look, and Lita spoke, "But what about that thing you did with my arm...?"  
  
"...And what about the alarm?" Stephanie asked, and Paul nodded towards Edge. The tall blonde lifted his sleeve, his palm facing up-wards. There was a small square piece of silver metal just below his elbow, which seemed to be embedded into his skin. Stephanie ran her fingers delicately along it and frowned slightly, "what is it?"  
  
"It's a tracking device," Kurt spoke up, and Lita looked horrified, "A what?" she said, surely she couldn't have heard him correctly...but she had...  
  
"A tracking device," Paul sighed and continued, "we all have them, so Bischoff knows where we are at all times. His men have them too, but theirs are black, a different device so he can tell us apart."  
  
"That's sick, he can't get away with this!" Stephanie said, her anger rising tremendously. She didn't realise how demented Bischoff really was.  
  
"He already has." Kurt spoke quietly, "We're not allowed in the hallways during a show...when the alarm goes off, it's a warning to get inside a locker—room. We have to be escorted to a match, by an official, and we can't leave the place...we can't leave our hotels when we travel between shows...we're prisoners."  
  
Lita shook her head sadly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing...she couldn't believe what her former boss had done to her friends...  
  
"Y-you can't leave? What would happen if you did?" the blonde woman asked, wondering if she was about to hear something else that she wouldn't like.  
  
"People have tried before," Paul said, looking down at his hands, "But then they turn up the next day on Bischoff's side. It's like he brainwashes them or something,"  
  
Stephanie frowned...so this was the WWE she had returned to...a prison...run by a maniac.  
  
"W-what's happened to the diva's?" Lita was almost afraid to ask, she remembered Heyman mentioning something earlier about them.  
  
"They're with Bischoff," Paul said, the sound of remorse in his voice.  
  
"...the only time we see any of them, is when they have a match or they're accompanying one of the men to the ring," Kurt sighed, "but they do seem happy,"  
  
"They're not happy," Edge almost snapped, then sent an apologetic look to his friend, "they're pretending to be, to stay on Bischoff's good side...god knows what those women are going through,"  
  
Lita instantly thought of Trish...she should have stayed, instead of leaving all those years ago...Trish had been her best friend, and she should have stuck by her.  
  
Stephanie was beginning to regret going back...she'd never expected any of this...she'd thought things would just be normal and as they were before...but they weren't...and she had to be strong...unlike her brother, she had nothing to lose.  
  
"We have to do something," she said, and all three men looked at her. "We need help from outside...from people who don't have any of those tracking devices...we need more wrestlers."  
  
"We don't have time to train anyone. Bischoff's guys are powerful." Kurt reasoned, but Stephanie shook her head.  
  
"That's not what I meant," she glanced at Lita quickly, "us two don't have any tracking devices...so what I'm trying to say is, are there any wrestlers that left before Bischoff took over...people with experience that could help us out?"   
  
Paul rubbed his head, trying to think, Kurt and Edge both frowned for a moment.  
  
"Look, Heyman, I need you to get me a list of everyone who worked in the company six years ago, around the time when me and Lita left, and also get me a list of everyone who works for the company now, could you do that?" Stephanie asked, and after a brief pause, Heyman nodded.  
  
"You two better keep your heads down. If Bischoff finds out that either of you are here then..." Edge broke off, but Kurt jumped in...  
  
"Just make sure he doesn't see you at all. You can phone us anytime, he can't trace calls, and you can visit us, but we can't visit you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Lita said...she was still a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, but she wouldn't let them down.  
  
A knock on the door broke the silence in the room and Christian popped his head round the door, his eyes settling on his brother.   
  
"Edge our tag match is up next," he said, and Edge looked round to Stephanie.  
  
"See you later then," he smiled. Stephanie smiled too, meeting his green eyes...maybe coming back would be worth it after all...  
  
"Good Luck Edge," She said softly...she had a lot of planning to do...but she was a McMahon...she could handle anything...*especially* Eric Bischoff.  
  
~ 


	8. Chapter 8

~  
  
"Edge seemed quite normal didn't he," Lita said thoughtfully, crossing her legs and shifting the pillows on her bed so that she was comfortable. She still couldn't believe the things they had discovered yesterday at RAW...Bischoff was way out of control.  
  
"What do you mean?" Stephanie said half-heartily at she paced backwards and forwards. She was skimming through the lists that she'd been given by Heyman, and was looking at the names she'd marked off.  
  
The brunette thought about the way Christian and especially Jeff had behaved towards her. She had a small bruise on her hip, from where Jeff had pushed her against the table...it was only little though, and she didn't really want to worry Steph with something so unnecessary. "Never mind," she muttered.  
  
"Here," Steph jumped onto the bed beside Lita's, grabbing the phone from the table between them, "do you want to call him, or shall I?"  
  
Lita glanced at the name, then at the blonde "You can,"  
  
"Are you sure? Because I think he liked you better than he liked me,"   
  
Lita shook her head, "No way, I still have vivid memories of him bashing my head in with a steel chair,"  
  
"Okay," Stephanie sighed, dialling the number from the sheet and waiting for an answer. Lita looked on hopefully, holding onto a pillow for support.  
  
"Hello? Um, is there a Steve Austin there?...yeah okay," Stephanie waited a moment, mouthing the words 'some woman' to Lita, and then jumping slightly at the angry voice that replaced her...  
  
"Who the hell is this and what do you want?"  
  
"Um...Steve, is that you?" Stephanie asked, nervously running a hand through her blond hair.  
  
"Who the hell is this and what do you want?" The voice repeated, and Stephanie detected the Texan drawl that time.  
  
"Steve, it's Stephanie...Stephanie McMahon," She told him shooting Lita a quick look.  
  
"What do you want?" He said, not sounding at all surprised to hear from her.  
  
"Um...I want you to help me destroy Eric Bischoff," She knew what Austin was like, and he preferred it when people were straight with him, and just cut to the chase.  
  
"That SOB? Okay. When, where, I'm there."   
  
Stephanie's lips curled up into a smile. She hadn't even had to convince him, it was all just too perfect.   
  
Lita looked on as Stephanie gave him the details and then smiled when the blonde put the phone down. "So we've got Stone Cold Steve Austin on our side. That's a good ally to have."  
  
"Hell yeah," Stephanie giggled, realising that she'd just used his catchphrase. She scribbled his name down on the piece of paper and tossed the list to Lita, "Your turn."  
  
~  
  
A few hours and many phone calls later, they looked at the list.   
  
"Steve Austin, The Rock and Booker T were the easiest to sign up," Stephanie grinned proudly, "and Shawn Michaels took some convincing, I couldn't get hold of Kevin Nash, but I told Shawn to let him know,"  
  
Lita frowned, "But that's only five guys,"   
  
"Five guys who don't have any of those tracking devices in their arms. They can all help us Lita...and besides, there's still one more to call, and there's no way in hell I'm doing it!" Stephanie held the phone out to Lita, who took it and eyed the list curiously...and her jaw dropped.  
  
"I can't phone *him*!" She said with disgust, "Not after how he helped Matt and Bischoff humiliate me on RAW, you remember that Steph, the night we left?"  
  
Stephanie pouted "Oh please Lita? Pleeeaase? You know he hates my guts more than anyone in the world does, he'll never help if *I* ask," she pleaded and Lita rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.  
  
She placed the phone to her ear and dialled the number. She couldn't believe that she was actually doing this...Stephanie owed her one, big time...  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Oh hi," Lita tried to sound cheerful although her stomach was turning, "Um...is Chris Jericho there please?"   
  
There was silence for a moment and then the phone went dead.  
  
Lita frowned and Stephanie raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Wasn't he there?" the blonde asked and Lita shook her head, tightening her ponytail, then picking up the phone again.  
  
"The hung up...I think that was him," she frowned and dialled the number again.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Chris is that you? Don't hang up on me this time I ne...hello?...hello? Dammit!" She slammed the phone down and folded her arms angrily. How dare he hang up on her twice like that, especially when she didn't even want to call him in the first place...the asshole.  
  
"He hung up again?" The blonde scowled, she personally had never liked the man since she'd first met him, but she knew that Lita had been friends with him once upon a time. "We don't need him," Steph said, but there was a certain determination present in the brunette's eyes and Stephanie knew that her best friend wasn't going to give up so easily.  
  
Lita grabbed the list of names and searched for his...there it was... "Tomorrow morning I'm going round there," she said.  
  
Stephanie frowned, "To Canada?"  
  
"Yes,"  
  
"But what about the meeting? What about the planning we need to do?" The blonde woman protested, but Lita shook her head defiantly.  
  
"You don't need me to help you with that, Stephanie." The blonde didn't look convinced and Lita continued, "Look, Edge will look out for you okay? And we'll be back in time for Wrestlemania."  
  
"We?" Stephanie questioned, a small smile on her face.  
  
Lita grinned, "Yes. I'll get Jericho to help us, if it's the last thing I do,"   
  
~ 


	9. Chapter 9

~  
  
Stephanie stirred the straw in her thick banana milkshake that the waitress had made especially for her...it had taken some persuading, but the blonde had convinced 'Sally' that banana milkshakes tasted better when made fresh, with chopped banana pieces and ice-cream straight from the freezer.  
  
She sat alone in the small isolated booth at the back of the cafe, so that no one on the street would see her, unless they were purposely looking for her...  
  
She wondered how Lita was doing. The brunette must have been on the plane by then...it was late-ish, but there was only one flight available for that particular journey, and her stubborn best friend wouldn't back out so...  
  
Stephanie shrugged, she was just glad it was Lita and not her...she'd never liked Chris Jericho, because, well, he'd simply never liked *her*.  
  
"There you go hunny," Sally placed a small chocolate muffin down next to the milkshake and the blonde looked up confused.  
  
"I didn't order this?" she said, but the round-faced waitress just smiled kindly.  
  
"It's on me, and don't protest, because it'll only go in the trash otherwise," she winked at her only customer then walked back over to the counter, where she began to converse with the other waitress, Amanda.  
  
Stephanie checked her watch. It was 9:45pm...luckily the cafe was open for 24 hours, so she could stay there for as long as it took...  
  
"Hello princess,"   
  
She looked up quickly, instantly recognising the voice and smiled brightly. It was them...  
  
"Shawn!" she jumped up and hugged the older man, who hugged her back, then hugged the much larger man, "Hi Kevin,"   
  
She sat back down, still smiling happily, as the two men sat opposite her. She couldn't believe it was them...she hadn't seen them for such a long time...and they were both supporting a short hair cut, only Kevin's was dark brown in colour.  
  
"Hey Blondie," Kevin smirked, making the woman blush slightly...she'd forgotten that she too had a different hairstyle.  
  
"So how have you been, sweetheart? Where have you been?" Shawn grinned, helping himself to her chocolate muffin.   
  
"I've been good. I was staying in England actually, but I had to come back." She told them, watching as Nash raised his eyebrows interestedly.   
  
"You went to England by yourself?" he asked her and she shook her head.  
  
"No, actually I went with Lita,"  
  
"The cute little redhead?" Shawn said, with a mouthful of chocolate.  
  
Stephanie giggled...if only Lita could have heard him describe her as that, "yeah, the cute little redhead," she said.  
  
"But you're both back now?" Kevin questioned. He clasped his hands together on the table in front of him.   
  
"Yeah," the blonde nodded, "and we're going to find a way to stop Eric Bischoff from destroying my company, and my wrestlers."  
  
Shawn stopped munching and glanced at Kevin, who spoke, "*Your* company?"  
  
"That's right, I own everything, but I can't get rid of Bischoff so easily, he's powerful...what he's done to the wrestlers..." she broke off, sighing sadly.  
  
"It's okay Steph, we know about the tracking devices," Shawn said, finishing the muffin and screwing up the wrapper. Stephanie stared at him in confusion, and then turned her eyes towards Kevin.  
  
"How? I didn't think anyone knew except for the wrestlers who have them, and Bischoff,"   
  
The large man shook his head, "They were Hunter's idea," he saw a small flicker in the blonde's eyes at the mention of her ex-husband, "He wanted us both to join his team, but we refused so he had Bischoff fire us...we were the lucky ones."  
  
"And that was two years ago, right after Shane left," Shawn added, "Um...he told everyone you were dead."  
  
Stephanie nodded and silently turned her straw between her fingers. She knew that Shane had done it to protect her, but she couldn't help but feel a little strange at the thought of people grieving for her...that is of course, if anyone had cared...  
  
The two former wrestlers shared an uncomfortable glance and Shawn thought it best to change the subject...  
  
"So who are the other guys helping us?"  
  
"Um...Steve Austin..."  
  
"Stone Cold?" Kevin smirked, "Geez, I haven't seen that guy in ages. Eric Bischoff fired him, about the same time he fired us...in fact it could have been the same day..."   
  
"Yeah it was," Shawn nodded, "I remember the beer party he threw in the ring, he must have given Eric five stunners in a row, it was funny stuff,"  
  
The blonde woman smiled as she tried to imagine the scene Shawn was describing...sounded too perfect to her. "I got The Rock, too," she said and both Nash and Michaels looked surprised.  
  
"You did?" Kevin said, sounding amazed, and Steph nodded.  
  
"Wow, I'm surprised. I didn't think he'd ever come back, considering he's had so much movie success," Shawn smirked.  
  
"Yeah, he's quite the celebrity now, we're going to have to keep him hidden or something,"   
  
Stephanie nodded at Kevin's words. She knew the Rock was very successful, and she had wondered why he would risk everything to help them out...but she needed every guy she could get, and she sure as hell wasn't going to turn down The Rock.  
  
"I got Booker T," she said, counting of the third man with her fingers, and Shawn's smile grew. She remembered that he'd got on quite badly with Booker T at first, but they had soon grown to become good friends, luckily for her.  
  
"He's a good man. He went out with an injury to his knee, and when Shane left, he never went back." The smaller man spoke, wishing he had another muffin to eat.  
  
"Yeah, Booker is a good man," The big guy agreed.   
  
So far, so good...the blonde didn't know whether she should mention the last guy...the one that Lita was going to find...no...she didn't even know if he was coming yet, so she'd just keep quiet about him for the moment...  
  
"And that's all, right now," She smiled, ignoring the straw and taking a sip of her milkshake from the glass.   
  
"Well, I don't know about you, but I want another muffin," Shawn grinned and Kevin shook his head.  
  
"Do you ever think about anything other than food, Michaels?" Nash asked, and Stephanie giggled. She'd forgotten what those two were like when they got together, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't missed them both...because she had, and she was more than glad to see them again...and it was now that she *really* felt sorry for Lita...  
  
~  
  
It was very late by the time the taxi dropped her off at Chris' home in Winnipeg, and Lita was tired, hungry and freezing.   
  
She looked up at the large house, remembering the only other time she'd ever been there before...it was a long time ago, when she was managing the Hardys and Chris was one of their good friends...he'd invited them over to his house for their week off...it was snowy, but the sun was shining and she remembered thinking how lovely his home was...he was a very tidy person, and always cared about his image...it was just a shame that his image was all he seemed to care about when he'd turned into an asshole.   
  
Lita smirked. It was funny that both Chris and Matt had turned into jerks, and it seemed as though Jeff had too...whilst Edge, on the other hand, who had once been he biggest creep she'd known, was now a complete sweetheart.   
  
An owl hoot sounded in the distance, hauling Lita back to reality and back to freezing her butt off on Jericho's doorstep.   
  
She knocked, then felt a little foolish as she spotted a doorbell just to the right, and pressed it twice.  
  
"I'm coming already!" An angry voice yelled from inside and Lita felt her nerves doubling as she recognised it...she just hoped he recognised her...  
  
...Or then again...shaking slightly, she turned on the spot, changing her mind about the whole situation. She was really just kidding herself...deep down inside she had hoped that she might see the old Chris...the one she had hung out with when she'd first joined the company...the one who had helped her with the Dean Malenko situation...*that* was who she wanted to see...not the real Chris Jericho.  
  
"Hey, do you know what time it is?" An irritated voice said from behind her. A hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder swinging her round, before she even had time to register his presence.  
  
"Uh...H-Hi Jericho," She forced herself to say, meeting his shocked blue eyes, "can I come in?"   
  
~ 


	10. Chapter 10

~  
  
"Are you really here?" The words left his lips softly, and he never took his eyes way from hers. She could feel a maturing intensity arise between them, her heart beating faster, her breathing quickening...it was because of the way he was looking at her...  
  
She didn't answer him...just gazed at him...the long blonde hair and bright blue eyes...he had always been stunning, and still was...  
  
Lita never moved as his hand reached out to brush against her cheek, his skin warm and soft, his touch gentle. But then she saw it...the sudden flicker in his eyes as he pulled away from her...it was that flicker that reminded her that it really was Chris Jericho she was standing in front of...  
  
"You've put on weight," he sneered, looking her up and down.  
  
The brunette scowled. Yeah, it was definitely Jericho. Ignoring his comment, the woman said, much more confidently, "I just came to talk, can I come in?"   
  
"If you can fit through the door," he smirked, then turned and walked down his brightly-lit hallway, disappearing through what she remembered to be the kitchen door.  
  
Lita stood there for a while, contemplating whether to enter or to turn and run...she still had the chance...but she had already come this far...  
  
She walked into the house, closing the front door behind her and dropped her bag on the ground. She looked about, noticing how tidy the place was and jumped when the chime of an old grandfather-clock reminded her that it was way past her bedtime.  
  
She walked down the hall, and pushed open the door that Jericho had entered. Sure enough, he was standing over the kitchen sink with his back to her, and she spotted a half-empty bottle of whiskey in his right hand.  
  
"So what do you want Lita?" he asked, pouring the whiskey down the drain.   
  
"I want your help," She answered. He turned to stare at her with those blue eyes again and she had a hard time breaking eye contact.  
  
"With what?" he wanted to know, leaning against the sink and folding his arms.   
  
Lita was a little startled by his emotionless reaction...she thought he would have laughed at her or berated her, but he hadn't...yet...  
  
"Eric Bischoff. We're going to get rid of him from the WWE and we need people to help us. We need *you* Jericho,"  
  
The blonde Canadian frowned. He walked towards her, only for the brunette to step backwards, away from him, until her back was pressed against a wall.   
  
"Look at you Lita. You appear out of nowhere after six years...*six years* dammit! And you say you need my help?...you hate me Lita, remember? *I* was the asshole that gladly put you in the 'Walls of Jericho' without a moments hesitation and enjoyed hearing your screams. *I* was the jerk who happily turned my back on our friendship and made sure you realised that I didn't like you anymore. *I* was the guy who laughed when creeps in the back made crude comments about you, just to make sure everyone knew I hated you..."  
  
"...And you were the man who helped set me up to be dumped and fired, live on national television...I know all this Jericho," She said softly with tears forming, wishing she *had* turned and run earlier on. The wrestler was within inches of her and she was feeling more than a little uncomfortable with him being so close.  
  
He smiled, and Lita didn't know if this made her feel at ease or even more wary.  
  
"And you still came here. To ask for my help," he shook his head, a pained expression taking form across his handsome features...this momentary action allowing the brunette to slip away from him and once again obtain some space between them.  
  
"I didn't want to come here. I phoned you and you hung up on me."  
  
She told him, wiping at her eyes. She wouldn't let him make her cry...no...she'd *never* let him make her cry.   
  
"It was a strange feeling you know. Getting a phone call from a dead woman," he almost laughed that time but the woman seemed extremely confused by what he'd just said.  
  
"What do you mean? I'm not dead," she frowned and he threw her a look that she couldn't describe.  
  
"You were to me," he muttered, but it was loud enough for Lita to hear, and that was the final straw for the former redhead.  
  
She ran down the hall, willing herself not to cry and grabbed her bag. She went to open the door, but a large hand covered hers as she reached for the handle.  
  
"Wait, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."   
  
Lita turned to face pleading eyes with her watery ones and spoke quietly, "You're a confusing man Jericho, one minute you tell me you hate me and the next you tell me you're sorry. I don't know what you want from me?"  
  
The man sighed, "I don't want anything, it's just...it's been a long time and I don't know what to say to you"  
  
"You could say that you'll help us," The brunette spoke softly, looking up at him. She wasn't sure what to expect next from the man. Although she'd never admit it, his random reactions were scaring the hell out of her and she had to keep on guard for her own safety...he'd hurt her before...he could do it again right?   
  
She glanced down, remembering his hand was covering hers and pulled it away, shoving it nervously into her jean pocket.   
  
Jericho didn't seem to notice too much, "Okay," he said.  
  
Lita couldn't believe her ears. He'd actually said yes...  
  
"Thank you," she produced a small but genuine smile for him and he appeared to be taken aback by that tiny gesture. He couldn't remember the last time she had smiled for him.  
  
"This doesn't mean I like you though," Jericho said, and the former redhead had to refrain from rolling her eyes.  
  
"As long as you let me stay here for the night, I couldn't care less," Lita shrugged, adjusting her bag strap on her shoulder.  
  
Jericho nodded, "Good. Follow me,"  
  
She smiled to herself as he walked off down the hall. She couldn't wait to see Stephanie's face the next day when she turned up with Chris Jericho.   
  
"Are you coming?" A sarcastic voice yelled, bringing her back to reality.   
  
"Yeah, asshole," she muttered under her breath as she followed him to the spare room.  
  
She just had to get through that night, and then tomorrow would surely be a day to remember...  
  
~ 


End file.
